MACHINERY & MACHINE SAFETY SAFE MACHINERY FOR QUALITY PRODUCTS
Inline Filters ILF 300 & 600 (003)
FireBOX
By Joshua Evans, applications engineer at BOFA International T
he COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for manufacturers in all industry sectors with the introduction of measures to keep employees safe and healthy. However, pandemic or no pandemic, manufacturers also have a duty to ensure that machinery and equipment in the workplace is appropriately controlled and maintained to ensure that no potentially harmful airborne contaminants enter the breathing zones of operatives.
Poor workplace practices, particularly where hazardous materials are being worked, not only present a health risk to employees, but they can also significantly impact product quality and even lead to costly unplanned downtime. In the UK, manufacturers have a legal obligation to abide by the COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations, which set workplace exposure limits (WELs) for fume and dust known to be harmful to human health. These limits are presented in the Health & Safety Executive’s EH40 guidance as time weighted averages for either 15 minutes or eight hours, in both ppm (parts per million) and mg/m³ (milligrams per meter cubed). “Potentially harmful airborne contaminants can result from numerous industrial processes, including laser marking, coding and cutting, and hand as well as automated soldering in the electronics sector,” says Joshua Evans, an applications engineer at BOFA International, a global leader in portable industrial fume and dust extraction systems.
“Health risks are also associated with thermal plastic processes and solvents, which can give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs). PVC is worth a special mention in this context since it releases
hydrogen chloride/hydrochloric acid and small amounts of phosgene when lasered or thermally processed, both of which are highly toxic.” It is essential for manufacturers to have the right filtration system in place to manage the health risks associated with materials being worked. Evans says this means taking account of processes, substrates and chemical reactions at the design stage to ensure optimal protection for the workforce and to avoid unnecessary downtime and product quality issues that can be caused by equipment contamination.
BOFA’s fume and dust extraction technology filters near 100 per cent (99.997 per cent) of airborne contaminants at 0.3 microns linked to a given industrial process and will return clean air into the workplace. It has been designed to be portable so can easily be moved to where it is needed inside a production area, supporting an agile work environment.
The company’s technology is positioned to ensure that particulate and fume is drawn into a multi-layered filtration system. This includes patented DeepPleat DUO pre-filtration, a main High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter to capture particulate and a layer of activated carbon to remove vapours and gases. The precise configuration, airflow rates and filtration media depend upon each application and the industrial process involved.
BOFA’s inline pre-filtration also provides an extra layer of filtration to protect the fume extraction system in applications that generate high volumes of dust or particulate. They are positioned alongside the main BOFA fume filtration system to increase the overall filter capacity and extend the
34 MARCH 2021 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
life of the main, more expensive filters. “There are also challenges that go beyond fume and dust capture,” says Evans. “For example, extraction systems linked to some thermal and mechanical processes need to mitigate any potential fire risks. This is particularly important where a combustible dust has the potential to be drawn into the filtration system.” Under these circumstances, managers should specify a system benefiting from fire-resistant materials for casings and filters, thermal cut-out protection and technology such as BOFA’s Spark Arrestor 2 and FireBOX to mitigate the risk of burning particulate entering the extraction system or igniting combustible dust that has been collected. The other key determinant for optimal productivity and safe operational conditions is system control, available through technology such as the company’s Intelligent (iQ) Operating System, which provides independent filter status monitoring, optimised airflow and remote system diagnostics. Evans says: “Better data and information means better extraction performance and the avoidance of unnecessary downtime - and maintaining a safe breathing environment for operatives. And with the economic pressure caused by the COVID pandemic, there’s probably never been a more important time for businesses to maintain uptime – and this means keeping their machinery and equipment working reliably while safeguarding employee health. “Undertaking regular fume and dust extraction system health checks is essential to keep productivity as high as possible.”
BOFA International
www.bofainternational.com
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